Given the season his side are having so far this year, Man City boss Pep Guardiola shouldn’t have as much to stress about compared to some of his rivals.

City have won 19 of their 20 Premier League games to date, opening up a 15-point lead in the title ‘race’, while they continue to march on in the League Cup and Champions League to remain on course for a highly successful campaign.

Further, they now boast the best defensive record in the league having conceded just 12 goals in their 20 games, and yet it could be argued that their backline could be their most serious weakness.

With John Stones out injured and Vincent Kompany suffering yet another setback, Guardiola will surely be concerned over the level of quality and depth that he is lacking in that department.

Were the likes of Nicolas Otamendi or Eliaquim Mangala to get injured now, he’d be in a tricky situation, and so signing a defender in January is arguably a sensible strategy for the runaway league leaders.

According to The Mirror, the Spanish tactician could have received the biggest boost yet in that pursuit of a solution, as West Bromwich Albion boss Alan Pardew has suggested that they could sell Jonny Evans.

With problems of their own, selling Evans could bolster the transfer kitty for the Baggies and give them much-needed spending power to address key weaknesses in their squad.

In a week in which Virgil van Dijk joined Liverpool for a staggering £75m fee, as noted by BBC Sport, it remains to be seen what effect that has on the transfer market in general, with West Brom likely to be confident of getting a significant fee for Evans from big-spending City.

It’s noted how Evans was the subject of a bid from City in the summer, and his experience, winning track record and defensive solidity could be important in helping Guardiola’s men maintain their current form in the second half of the campaign.